1. Unit II: The Behavior of Nations

2. Unit II: The Behavior of Nations Essential Questions
Why do states behave the way
they do?
What factors determine how
much power and influence a
state has?
How does geography influence
a state’s foreign policy?
How do states attempt to achieve
their foreign policy goals?

3. The Concept of National Interest

4. Defining National Interest
“Underlying the behavior of nations is the concept of national interest” What question does this statement answer? Why do nations behave the way they do?

5. What are National Interests?
Those things that are good for
or beneficial to a state.
A country’s political, economic,
strategic, and military goals.

6. Your Interests or Goals Your Behavior
A Country’s National Interests /Goals That Country’s Behavior (Its Foreign Policy)

7. Key Ideas About National Interest
A country’s national interests change over time.
No two countries have exactly the same interests. but all countries share broad goals:
Examples:
Defense of its sovereignty
Preservation of the state
Military security
Economic growth

8. Key Ideas con’t Citizens often disagree on what their country’s
national interests are.
National interests are ultimately defined by a country’s leaders.

9. Security Interests Intended to ensure nation’s physical survival.
Influenced by perception of
external and internal threats.
Examples:
Maintaining military forces.
Protecting borders
Forming alliances
Maintaining order at home.

10. Economic Interests Promote the economic welfare of a nation’s people.
Influenced by nation’s access
to resources and a nation’s
level of development.
Examples:
Promoting economic growth
Establishing trade relations

11. Ideological Interests
Ideology: Nation’s beliefs,
values, culture, or religion.
Influenced by desire both
to protect way of life at
home and promote it abroad.
Examples:
Promoting spread of a form
of government (democracy).
Spreading religious beliefs.

12. Class Activity “Ranking U.S. National Interests”

13. Foreign Policy

14. Developing Foreign Policy
“In every nation, leaders develop a foreign policy --or a course of action--to pursue the national interests of their countries.”

15. What is Foreign Policy? “A course of action developed by
Definition 1
“A course of action developed by
a country’s leaders to pursue the
national interests of that nation.”
Definition 2
“Actions taken by a government
in pursuit of a country’s global
interests and goals.”

16. (Actions taken in pursuit of goals)
National Interests
(Nation’s Goals)
Determine
Foreign Policy
(Actions taken in pursuit of goals)

17. The Concept of Power

18. Power in International Relations
What is power?
Power refers to a state’s ability to
influence the behavior of other
states.
Why is power important?
Powerful states are more likely to
reach their foreign policy goals
than less powerful states.
What factors influence a
state’s power?

19. Influences on a State’s Power:
Economic Power
The possession of products or
resources that other nations
want to buy.
The wealth to buy what other
nations want to sell.

20. Influences on Power
2. Military Power
Having a strong enough military to deter (prevent) attack.
Having the ability
to project military
power overseas.

21. Influences on Power
3. Geography
Geopolitics:
The influence of geography on a state’s politics – especially on its foreign policy.

22. Geopolitical Factors: Aspects of geography that influence a state’s foreign policy.
Its size
Its location
Its borders and terrain
Its control of critical resources
Its need for critical resources
Its access to waterways
Its neighbors (its proximity to allies and enemies)
Its strategic interests around the globe

23. May overcome other disadvantages.
Influences on Power
4. The Acquisition of Modern
Technology
May overcome other disadvantages.
Allows small countries to compete economically and militarily.
5. Strong National Resolve
Shared strong beliefs about the
nation’s national interests and
a strong determination to achieve
them.
Can overcome other disadvantages.

24. Related Vocabulary:

25. Related Vocabulary: Hegemony The influence or domination of
one powerful state over other,
weaker states.
Hegemon
A powerful state that has
influence over or dominates
weaker states within its
sphere of influence.

26. Related Vocabulary: Sphere of Influence: An area of the world in which
a powerful state (a hegemon)
dominates other, less powerful,
states.
Domination may be economic,
political, military, or cultural.

27. Historically a U.S. Sphere of Influence?
Monroe Doctrine, 1823

28. Our Backyard
Our Sphere of Influence

30. Guess what this article is about!
From the second paragraph…
“Two weeks ago it (India) furthered its boast to leggy hegemony…”

31. Related Vocabulary: Imperialism: A policy of extending a state’s power
through the acquisition of additional
territory or direct control over other
nations.
Empire:
Extensive territory or peoples under
the control of a single, powerful state.
Imperial power:
A state that controls an empire.

32. British Empire
Roman Empire

33. Geopolitics

34. Unit I: The Behavior of Nations Essential Questions
Why do nations behave the
way they do?
What are the most important
influences on the behavior of
nations today?
A huge influence on the way
nations behave is geography.

35. Define Geopolitics: The influence of geography on politics.
In international relations
it refers to the influence of
geography on a state’s power,
foreign policy, and relations
with other states.

36. Geopolitical Factors: Aspects of geography that influence a nation’s foreign policy.
Its size
Its location
Its borders and terrain
Its control of critical resources
Its need for critical resources
Its access to water
Its neighbors (its proximity to allies and enemies)
Its strategic interests around the globe

37. Give some examples of how these aspects of geography have influenced U
Give some examples of how these aspects of geography have influenced U.S. foreign policy – now or in the past:
Our size
Our location
Our borders and terrain
Our control of critical resources
Our need for critical resources
Our access to water
Our proximity to allies and enemies
Our strategic interests around the globe

38. Especially between world’s great powers.
Geopolitics emphasizes geography’s impact on relations between states:
Especially between world’s great powers.
Great powers have always
competed for:
Control of strategically
important territory
Access to resources.
Influence throughout the
world.

39. Think about geopolitics as a game… played by the world’s great powers.

40. RISK: Game of Geopolitics. The Goal?

41. Geopolitics: A game of global chess!

42. Maps are essential in studying geopolitics
Maps help us analyze
the relations between
countries in terms of
geography.
Maps help us to think
geopolitically!

43. Use this map to think geopolitically!
Thinking geopolitically… What questions should have been asked (and answered) before the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003?

44. Thinking geopolitically about Iraq…
Where is Iraq located? Is it located in
a strategically important part of the
world?
How far is Iraq from the U.S.?
What’s the terrain and climate like?
Are there natural barriers to invasion,
such as seas or mountain ranges?
Are the surrounding countries friends
or enemies of Iraq ?
Are the surrounding countries friends or enemies of the U.S.?

45. Does the U.S. have military forces close to Iraq?
Thinking Geopolitically About Iraq
Does the U.S. have military forces close to Iraq?

46. Where are Iraq’s military forces located?
Thinking Geopolitically About Iraq
Where are Iraq’s military forces located?

47. What’s the religious and ethnic make-up of Iraq’s population?
Thinking Geopolitically About Iraq
What’s the religious and ethnic make-up of Iraq’s population?

48. Thinking Geopolitically About Iraq
Would any of Iraq’s people support a U.S. invasion and where are these people located?

49. Where are Iraq’s oil fields, pipelines, and refineries?
Thinking Geopolitically About Iraq
Where are Iraq’s oil fields, pipelines, and refineries?

50. Historically, what’s been the most strategically important
Continuing to think geopolitically …
Historically,
what’s been
the most
strategically
important
spot on this
map? Why?
What might
the
consequences
be?

51. Thinking geopolitically …
What’s the most
strategically
important spot
on this map?
Why?
Impact on the
foreign policy
of China?
Impact on U.S.
foreign policy?

53. Thinking geopolitically …
What’s the most
strategically
important spot
on this map?
Why?
Strait of Hormuz, Oman/Iran/UAW. Hormuz (middle right) is the most important oil choke point in the world million barrels per day ship out of the Middle East, representing 40% of the world’s tanker delivered oil.

54. Thinking geopolitically …
The Arctic seabed is an area twice the size of France, loaded with an estimated quarter of the world's oil and gas deposits (which are becoming increasingly feasible to access as global warming causes the ice caps to melt) as well as other minerals such as gold and diamonds.
What are the potential geopolitical
ramifications of this?

55. Thinking Geopolitically
Why is the Middle East strategically important to the U.S. and the rest
of the world?
Has 60% of the world’s
known oil reserves and 41% of the world’s natural gas.
Supplies the U.S. with about 25% of its oil.
Other nations are even
more dependent on oil from the Middle East.

56. Thinking Geopolitically The Geopolitics of Oil
FACTS:
The U.S. is the world’s biggest oil consumer.
The U.S. is the world’s biggest oil importer.
The U.S. currently imports more than 65% of the oil it needs.

60. Which countries have the oil? From which of these countries
Thinking Geopolitically What geopolitical questions are raised by America’s dependency on foreign oil?
Which countries have the oil?
From which of these countries
does the U.S. import oil?
Are these countries friends or
foes of the U.S.?
What types of governments do
these countries have?
Are these countries politically
stable?

62. Dependency on foreign oil demands close ties to the governments that
Geopolitical Consequences of U.S. Dependency on Foreign Oil How does this impact U.S. foreign policy?
Dependency on foreign oil demands
close ties to the governments that
control that oil.
Possible problems with that?
Some of these governments are
are authoritarian (dictatorships).
Some are anti-American.
Some are politically unstable.
What’s the potential impact of each
of the above on U.S. foreign policy?

64. Conflict with rising powers such as India and China who
Geopolitical Consequences of U.S. Dependency on Foreign Oil Potential for Conflict?
Conflict with rising powers
such as India and China who
also need this oil.
Would impact economic
relations.
Could lead to military conflict
over scarce energy supplies.

65. “A new area of potential confrontation is developing between China and the U.S. According to reports, Exxon Mobil which has acquired exploration and production rights from Vietnam has discovered substantial gas reserves in the South China Sea off the coast of North Vietnam.”

66. “It is important to view the confrontation between US and Chinese oil and gas interests in the broader geopolitical context.
The potential clash between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea is intimately related to the broader battle for oil waged in the Middle East-Central Asian chessboard.
The South China Sea is an area of potential military confrontation.”

68. Geopolitical Consequences of U. S
Geopolitical Consequences of U.S. Dependency on Foreign Oil Potential for Conflict?
Dependency on foreign oil also makes us vulnerable to possible alliances between countries who could deny us access to their oil:
China and Iran
China and Venezuela

69. Geopolitics: Review Define geopolitics.
Identify at least five geopolitical
factors.
How can global geopolitics
be compared to a game of
global chess?
The world’s great powers are
always competing with each
other for what?

70. Review
Geography impacts the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ between _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in many important ways.
Geography impacts the relations between nations in many important ways
The study of geopolitics helps us understand the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
The study of geopolitics helps us understand the behavior of nations.
_ _ _ _ can help us analyze the relations between nations and to think _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.
Maps can help us analyze the relations between nations and to think geopolitically.